TSA Agent Retrieves Cellphone From Locked Car, Hands To You At Gate

TSA agents get a bad rap here and elsewhere, so when one of them acts like a human being, nay, a super human being, it is our duty to inform you. Alanna had one such experience this morning when a TSA agent went extremely out of her way to help Alanna get her cellphone from the rental car she had locked it in. This was very helpful because the rental office only opened a half-hour before her plane took off.

Alanna writes:

I did something stupid at the airport at 4:30 in the morning, and a TSA officer went above and beyond to help me. This is a letter of compliment that I wrote to the TSA this morning. I removed all personal information so the officer in question can avoid any issues:

I was in the Syracuse Airport (Hancock International) this morning for a flight. I dropped off my rental car, locked it up and dropped the keys in the after-hours box at 4:30 am. Immediately after that, I realized I had left my cell phone in the car.

I got the attention of a TSA agent at the airport. Her name is [awesome TSA agent]. I didn’t get an employee/badge number but her phone number is [awesome phone number]. She took my information, walked out to the car with me and verified the phone was in there. She then let me use her personal cell phone to call and text my husband.

She gave me her name and phone number and told me she would find the Avis representative when they got in (business hours started at 6:30, my flight took off at 7) to see if she could get my phone. She wanted to make sure I caught my flight so she told me to go through security and informed the manager at JetBlue’s counter and the officers on duty at security about the situation. She also told me that if she was not able to get my phone to me before my flight, she would personally call my husband and tell him how I could contact Avis to get the phone back.

I was freaking out since I had no other means of contacting my husband (who didn’t answer the phone when I called from [awesome TSA agent]’s phone). At 5:45, [awesome TSA agent] walked up to the gate and handed me my phone, which she had gotten out of the car for me. I thanked her profusely. I would have hugged her if I didn’t think it could be considered a risk to homeland security.

Honestly, I feel like [awesome TSA agent] is exactly the kind of employee the TSA needs. With all of the bad press the TSA gets, it was very reassuring to have such a positive experience with one of your officers. She was polite, courteous, professional and extremely helpful. I feel like she went above and beyond the call of duty without compromising security at the airport.

Please thank her for me and consider her for promotion or a raise. She is truly a wonderful human being and a credit to the TSA and all of your officers.

Sadly, though you redacted the TSA agent’s name in this letter, you didn’t redact it in the letter to the TSA. There was probably some sort of protocol breach here and she will now be fired and replaced with someone fresh off of failing night security guard school.